PROYECTOS

ANISAKFRE PROJECT

Anisakis are a kind of parasites found in marine animals that, when ingested by humans, it they reach the human digestive system, causes health problems (mainly alterations in the digestive system and allergy). It is widely spread in fished worldwide, and it is currently present in 30% of the fish caught in Europe. Anisakis is impossible to eradicate from the ocean. To avoid its consequences, some guidelines can be followed: to cook fish at 60ºC or to previously freeze at -18ºC the fish intended to be eaten raw or undercooked. However, in European dietary habits is frequent to consume raw or slightly cooked fish (moreover after the generalisation of the consumption of sushi/sashimi). Besides, the demand for fresh fishery products is growing, perceived as healthier and better tasting.

AnisakFree is a computer vision system based on near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) technology that coupled to a software can detect the presence of Anisakis in fish pieces (whole / slices / fillets), one by one in a timely, cheap and non-destructive way. AnisakFree assures the detection of Anisakis in industrial environments, which requires the capacity for processing big amounts at a high speed:

·Efficient detection of Anisakis: worm, larvae and their associated metabolites.

·Tailor-made for detection at industrial scale.

·Pricing adapted to sector’s margins.

Besides, it allows the collection of relevant information, useful for enhance competitiveness of the whole sector.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreementNo 826724